Cursed
by Flash2893
Summary: Torchwood must tackle the formidable Marius Gregory and his army of prophecy hounds, who are intent on ripping open the universe and unleashing hell on Earth, which forces Torchwood to face an unimaginable tragedy of their own.
1. The Vision

**Chapter 1-The Vision**

"That's disgusting." A low, pitiful voice with a distinct Welsh accent punctured the morning silence. A disapproving Gwen Cooper was in her small kitchen, zipping up her leather jacket and hopping across the floor with one boot on. Within her field of vision, she could spy clutter. On the ground, scattered carelessly about, were pizza boxes. Some once harboured garlic pizza bread, and one was host to a particularly unpleasant looking pepperoni pizza. Empty, disused beer bottles were knocked to their sides on the glass coffee table, which had an ominous crack racing through it. The French doors was letting small slits of light in, so a glorious sunlight was thrusting through the net curtains-which had fallen off their hanger and were lying precariously. Perhaps they, too, had been drinking heavily the previous night. The television was still on. A sheepish presenter, grinning broadly but patronisingly, was holding a hideous blue wolf puppet, making it dance. Gwen glanced at the clock, and as she did, her phone vibrating and a shrill polyphonic mess of notes pierced her ears.  
"Alright, alright, I'm coming!" she gasped, half exasperated. She fumbled in her tight jeans pocket and pulled out a slim, jet black Nokia N95. It wasn't her phone-she had lost that three days ago, but Jack had said it 'would fill the void for a time.' She slid the faceplate up and placed the phone to her ear. "Yes, yes, I'm coming!"  
"You sound happy!" Jack's cheery, enthusiastic voice trilled down the phone. "Had a good sleep have we?" he chuckled. She couldn't stand his chirpy behaviour.  
"Oh, the best. I'm on cloud nine. So relaxed that I might just take the day off!" She replied, dripping with sarcasm.  
"See you in a few!" said the voice at the end of the phone, and the ringing dial filled her ears. She clicked the phone off and put it back into her pocket. She wrestled with her boot and ran a battered brush through her hair. Putting her head to one side, she tiptoed up to a grunting, snoring figure on the couch. Gently, lovingly, she took a half empty beer can out of some limp hands, placed it on the table, and tenderly kissed her husband, Rhys. It would be best not to wake him. It had been some party last night-her own head was banging. But she wouldn't let Jack know that. He would tease her, he wouldn't _stop _teasing her. Still, she couldn't help but let a smile draw her lips upwards.

Cardiff's millennium bay was quiet. To coin a cliché, thought Gwen, it was _too _quiet. For 8 in the morning, the business hour, the place should have been a menace of people. You'd think that would be the case, but it was sort of…dead?

Gwen tossed her hair, and headed to the cash point. She needed to take out £20 for fuel later, and she might just buy herself something to eat. She was starving. As Gwen tapped the pin code, she turned and gasped with horror. Standing next to her was an old woman. She had black and grey hair down to her shoulders. It was greasy and straggly, and it was in her face. Her face itself was covered with scars, ugly gashes and she was dripping with blood. She was in a black cloak-her other clothes weren't' visible. She had browning teeth, crooked and disjointed, and evil, black eyes. She glared at Gwen and hissed. A tongue of a snake emitted from her snarling mouth. She was missing half her nose and had deep, circular black bags under her eyes. She stared directly at Gwen. She took a short, sharp, horrifying gasp.  
"Your salvation is your curse." Gwen, terrified began to tremble, her breath came in short, and painful, sharp bursts and she couldn't stand properly. She blinked, and looked again.

The woman had gone. Gwen was alone once more.

**This is my first fic, so please consider reviewing with good points and bad points. Obviously, all will be revealed later on. I hope you liked this brief introduction to the story!**


	2. Hub Talk

CHAPTER 2-HUB TALK

_**So, thank you to all of you who reviewed the first chapter. Unbelievably, it's been months since I updated. But have no fear; I am back for good and ready to continue this story regularly. Thanks for your support and continued interest-I hope you're not put off by the wait-I promise that updates will be far more regular now as we continue the story. **_

"Some weirdo attacked me," announced Gwen, to the point and bluntly as she walked through the Torchwood hub, ducking a monstrously vile purple plant the team were studying. She sounded calm and collected as she walked straight past Owen, kicking him playfully in the ankle as she did. As she made her announcement, Jack came through to the room, looking concerned; a coffee cup in his hand.  
"Good morning to you to, Gwen! My, you're so chirpy this morning!" his voice was dripping with a mockingly playful sarcasm. She couldn't help but smile.  
"Ha ha." She replied dryly. "You're lucky you're more attractive than what I've just seen." Jack grinned.  
"Care to tell us, or are you going to spend your whole day chatting about nothing?" Gwen rolled her eyes.  
"I'm getting to it!" she infused.  
"Oh, you're so Welsh!" retorted Jack.  
"Shut up and listen," she growled at Jack, giving him a wry smile. She presently clapped her hands, business like.  
"Well, there I was, getting out cash for later, at a normal ATM, normal-nothing suspicious or alien. Then I turn around and I've got queen bloody psychopath in front of me! There was this woman looking at me. She had, like, greyish hair, but there were stands of black. She was really old and there were lines across her face, scars." Gwen took a breath and impatiently pushed her vivid black hair from her wide eyes. She looked earnest as she explained. "Her eyes were black, really black," she gesticulated as she spoke. "And she had blood on one side of her face, like, she'd been hit or something, with part of her nose missing. She looked like, I don't know, she'd been in an accident or something." Gwen took an exasperated sigh. "And then she was like 'Your salvation is your curse, and bloody went and disappeared! I'm telling you Jack, either it was a result of a particularly violent cocktail last night, or someone is out to get us!" Gwen looked over at Jack, hoping for some sort of response, but he simply stood with his arms crossed, studying her intently.  
"Jack-say something," she said earnestly. Scowling, she persisted. "What's on your mind?" Jack began to mumble thoughtfully.  
"Your salvation is your curse," he muttered. "Weird, some sort of cryptic saying." He too clapped his hands. "Gwen, where were you, which ATM?"  
"Over by the millennium centre."  
"Right," said Jack, "Tosh-can you try to locate a scan of the CCTV there and we'll see if we can find this woman-see if we can get anything else on her." A petite, pretty Japanese woman span around in her chair, her glasses slightly steamed a coffee cup next to her.  
"Got it Jack, checking now." Toshiko replied. Jack looked at Gwen.  
"Did she hurt you?" he asked, genuinely concerned.  
"No, no she didn't Jack," Gwen replied quietly.  
"Are you ok? She didn't freak you out or anything?"  
"Look, I'm fine. It goes with the job. To be honest, she did freak me out a little bit-her and her snake tongue!" Jack shuddered.  
"Sounds like a charming woman!" Gwen laughed.  
"Or alien!" she scoffed. Jack beamed at her.  
"Ianto's visiting his mother, don't suppose you want to make me some coffee do you?" smiled Jack. Gwen gave him a hard stare as she took his cup to prepare coffee. She walked past Owen, who was restocking the medic's kit. When he saw her, he gave her a weak grimace.  
"Nice to see I'm so appreciated, Owen, hello to you to!" mused Gwen. Owen Harper turned around and scowled at her.  
"Fine, hello!" he derided. Gwen stopped and turned to him, putting her hand on her hip.  
"Sorry, sorry have I done something wrong?" Gwen replied sharply. Owen turned and stood up, facing her.  
"Last night, where were you?" he asked. Gwen shrugged.  
"I went out dancing with Rhys, why?"  
"I saw you," Owen almost whispered to keep his voice down. "You two, dancing. Now, how do you think that feels? Looking over and seeing the girl you-"he paused and took a breath, "Seeing a girl you've been…intimate with dancing with someone else?" Gwen shook her head in disbelief.  
"Owen, what we have isn't exclusive. We don't have anything really." Owen sniffed.  
"No, no we're just buddies, who happen to sleep with each other on a regular basis, right?" his tone was sarcastic, frosty and distant.  
"Owen-where is this conversation going, what do you want me to say?"  
"If we're gonna do this, we're gonna do this properly, no more lies." Said Owen quietly. Gwen turned her head slightly.  
"What do you mean?" her voice shook. Owen stared at her. It clicked, and Gwen began to shake her head worriedly.  
"No, Owen, no I can't, I can't tell him-I can't hurt Rhys, not now, not again!" she pleaded, her voice shaking.  
"Either you tell him we've been at it like rabbits," threatened Owen, "Or I do."

Gwen stared right at him, hot tears prickling her burning face.  
"You've got a nerve you self centred bastard!" Gwen hissed, turning away and storming out of the room.  
"You've got two weeks!" Owen called after her. "Two weeks!"

**I hope you enjoyed the second part. I will re-iterate, I know it's been ages since the first update, and I cannot apologise enough. I love writing this fan fiction so much but I have had a lot to deal with since September. However, after seeing the amazing response I have got, with people excited to see how the story will progress, I feel ready to sustain this writing, so please don't give up with me! I have this entire story ready and planned out, and am having so much fun writing it. To all of you who have stuck by me despite the immense delay, I thank so much. And if your joining the story, I hope you like it! The next update will be very soon, I promise. I appreciate all feedback, positive and constructive, and I hope you enjoyed chapter 2!**


	3. A Trick of the Light

**CHAPTER 3**

Gwen busied herself pouring tea, her head down, her brow furrowed as she concentrated.

"You two looked pretty cosy the other day," came a familiar American accent. She glanced up to see Jack Harkness, standing, propped casually against the door. She rolled her eyes, pretending she didn't care; but she was absently fiddling with the spoon and a teabag.

"Don't creep up on people," she scolded. Jack smiled.  
"You know," he mused with an annoyingly amused voice, "I always thought that you and Rhys were together." He walked up to her, closer. She tried not to take notice, though her hands had started to tremble slightly. "I thought you were-hold on, you _are _married to each other." He was close, and somehow, she wasn't pushing him away.

"What about it, Jack?" she muttered.

"That tea; it's stewing." Jack nodded towards the now black tea on the side. Gwen pulled the teabag out quickly and turned to face Jack.

"Well, looks like you were having a heated conversation with Owen just now-something about two weeks?" Jack crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows.

"You are the one Jack, the one who told us not to get our wires crossed, told us not to bring our home life to work and vice versa- weren't you?" She looked at him, no, glared, eyes and words blazing, yet it all protruded in an angry hiss, a snarl. "So if you think I'm going to let myself judged you've got another think coming, I mean it Jack!" she was angry; she knew he was right-she _was _engaged to Rhys. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "Shit, it's all so messed up."

Without thinking, she placed her hands either side of Jacks face and looked up to him. "I know what I'm doing is wrong; I can't help it if Owens a brilliant shag." She smiled at him, that endearing, toothy grin that would win him over in seconds. He thought he felt his legs melt. "I'm sorry, Jack, I'll sort it. I'll end it with Owen, I won't put anyone through any pain. I promise." There was a beat-a moment, heated. Jack closed his eyes and leaned in, it was the perfect moment, a brilliant opportunity; just as he did so, Gwen turned away and picked up the tea, carrying it into the control room.  
"See what we can find on the CCTV-see if Tosh has got anywhere, yes?" She chirped brightly, walking back into the control room, leaving Jack standing, so close, yet so far once again.

"Have you found anything?" queried Gwen, concerned as she leant next to Tosh. "Did anything show up?" Tosh sighed and shook her head.  
"No!" she muttered, half distracted.

"I pulled up the location and fast tracked through eighty minutes of footage until I saw you walk up." She pressed a few keys on the dashboard and sure enough, Gwen started to walk up to the cash machine, as she had that very morning.

"Yes," she responded, finding it creepy to watch herself back. "Yes, I went up to the machine..." Gwen and Tosh watched tensely as Gwen walked up to the machine and put her card in. "Yes, I put my card in and entered my pin, and literally, the second I'd entered the last number, she appeared, just like that, out of no where!" Gwen waited to see when this woman would appear; but nothing came up. "What?" stuttered Gwen, a little bit lost for words. "That's not normal is it, the woman just disappearing like that, I mean, she was there, wasn't she-I saw her."

"Gwen," laughed Tosh, "I'm not saying you didn't; I believe you, really I do, I just think maybe something's going wrong, maybe she's disguised herself or something." Gwen stood up and ran her fingers through her hair.

"Well, I'll force her to turn up again, shall I? Hows that?"

"Gwen! You can't force her to turn up, it was random...it might be a fluke." Gwen put her jacket back on and shook out her hair.  
"Doesn't mean I can't try. I've got to go and deliver some post anyway, so I've got some excuse." She picked up her bag.

"Keep looking at the CCTV for anything suspicious, right?" Gwen smiled at Tosh, who nodded her response. "I'll be back asap." Tosh furrowed her brow.

"Asap? Is that like, some secret code?" Tosh felt confused, but Gwen laughed.

"As soon as possible; wish me luck!" Gwen gave a slight wave, turned round, and strode confidently down the steps, ready to face her demons, this time, quite literally.


End file.
